Review of Deadpool 2 (2018) by John P — 21 May 2018

Three years ago Deadpool broke all the rules for a superhero movie. It was profanity laced, gruesomely violent, and absolutely filthy, with a hero who's a psychotic A-hole. A big departure from your usual all-ages fare. A lot of people weren't sure it could work. But it did. And it was awesome. And now the obligatory sequel is here, and it's even better.

As other writers more talented and original than me have pointed out, the first Deadpool was a test of whether an R-rated superhero movie could work, and was still figuring out the right balance of sex, violence, and language. Well now that the filmmakers know that the premise does work and have the basic formula down, they can run with it and have a lot of fun with it.

And oh how much fun it is, from the opening jab at Wolverine to the fourth wall breaking post credit scenes. This time the fights are better, the villains are way better, and thankfully the lengthy, cringe inducing sex scenes from the first movie are gone.

They were funny yes, but also severely cringe inducing. Now there's still plenty of deeply offensive sexual humor, and it's all hilarious, but this time around they don't beat you over the head with it.

Although lots of people do get beaten over the head. And shot. And stabbed. And blown up. And disemboweled and dismembered. Because it wouldn't be a Deadpool movie without somebody getting ripped in half now would it? And lots of pop culture references being dropped and the fourth wall getting broken. Which of course they are, and it is. By a school bus no less. There are also shameless rip-offs of iconic scenes of 80's cinema. And some pretty hilarious send ups of today's hypersensitive microaggressions culture. Let's see... Am I forgetting anything? Ah yes, the plot!

After a great personal tragedy, Wade realizes he needs to get his heart in the right place- in more ways than one actually. He needs to find a family and do some good. So that means it's time to join the X-Men, which goes even worse than you would expect. But then he finds a new cause. A young troubled mutant with a serious attitude problem who maybe doesn't need or deserve Wade's help, but damned if he isn't going to get it anyway. All of this, besides being over the top violent and hilarious, is just the setup for his inevitable showdown (and equally inevitable team-up) with Cable.

And for assembling the X-Force. They're great. Seriously. They're really awesome, badass, deeply dysfunctional people whose role in this movie is nothing like what the trailers suggest. I especially liked Domino. She's got some serious sass to go with her looks, and an excellent sense of dramatic and comedic timing. But nothing beats Josh Brolin as Cable. He is everything fans could have hoped for: tough as nails, ruthless yet professional, and absolutely deadpan in the face of Wade's constant quips. He's basically the anti-Deadpool, and the chemistry between them is as awesome as their prolonged fight scenes. I really hope he becomes a regular in this franchise.

Despite Deadpool's claims to the contrary, this is definitely not a family movie, or one for the easily offended, or really anyone who isn't more than a little screwed up. But if you're OK with that it'll probably be the most fun you'll have at the movies all year. And don't miss the credits.